Quick Guide to Authentic Engagement in Online Communities
Community management refers to building and nurturing a brand’s community across multiple channels and mediums. This involves creating a sense of belonging, facilitating communication, and fostering relationships among your customers, fans, and followers.
The first thing to understand is that community engagement is more than just a one-size-fits-all approach. What works for one community may not work for another. That’s why getting to know your community and understanding their unique needs and wants is essential. With that in mind, I’ll look at some of the essential dos of community engagement.
DOs of Community Management
Focus on trust
The first essential "do" is to focus on trust. Building trust with your community is essential to creating a meaningful and lasting relationship. This can be done by being transparent, consistent, and authentic. Transparency means being open and honest about who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re trying to accomplish.
Consistency means following through on your promises and being reliable. And authenticity means being true to your values and being genuine in your interactions with your community. Trust takes time to build, but it's worth the effort.
Have Clear Goals
Another essential "do" is to have clear goals. Your community engagement strategy should be tied to specific goals that you want to achieve. This could include increasing brand awareness, building loyalty, or generating leads. By having clear goals, you can measure your success and make adjustments as needed. It's also essential to ensure your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound).
Listen To Your Community
A third essential "do" is to listen to your community. Your community is a valuable resource, and you should take the time to listen to what they have to say. This includes reading feedback, surveys, and social media posts. You can learn about their needs and wants by listening and making changes. Your community will appreciate your taking the time to hear them out and make improvements based on their feedback.
Provide Value
Another important "do" is to provide value. Your community should feel like they're getting something out of the relationship. This could include exclusive content, discounts, or other special offers. You should also provide educational and informative content relevant to your community. This could be blog posts, videos, or other helpful and engaging content. The key is to provide relevant value to your audience and help them achieve their goals.
Create A Sense Of Community
I'll mention the last "do" to create a sense of community. Your community should feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. This can be done by creating a sense of connection, shared values, and belonging. Some ways to do this include creating a shared identity, encouraging communication, and celebrating community milestones. When your community feels part of something special, they'll be likelier to stick around and contribute to the group's overall success.
DON’Ts of Community Management
Now, I’ll talk about some of the "don’ts" of community engagement.
Don’t Be Promotional
The first "don’t" is to be overly promotional. Your community doesn’t want to be bombarded with sales pitches or self-promotion. Focus on providing value and building relationships first and foremost. The sales will come later.
Don’t Be Inconsistent
Another "don't" is being inconsistent. Consistency is vital to building trust and loyalty. Your community needs to know that they can rely on you to be there for them. They cannot connect with you if you constantly change your messaging or presence. Be consistent with your communication, your values, and your actions.
Don’t Be Disrespectful
A third "don't" is to be disrespectful. This should be a given, but it's worth emphasizing. Your community comprises real people, and you should always treat them respectfully. This includes being polite, using appropriate language, and avoiding discriminatory or offensive language. If you disrespect your community, they'll be less likely to want to engage with you.
Don’t Be Too Formal
The last "don't " is to be too formal. Your community comprises people who don't want to feel like they're dealing with a corporation. Be authentic and conversational, and avoid jargon or technical language. When you connect with your community personally, they likely trust and respect you.
Community Management in Meeds DAO
Meeds DAO, which I recently joined as an author, is a decentralized engagement platform that excellently applies these "dos" and "don’ts" to its community management. For example, it provides value through its content and resources, is consistent in its communication, and is respectful and authentic in its interactions. Additionally, it avoids being overly promotional or formal and focuses on building relationships with its community members.
Purpose and Values
Meeds DAO uses some of these principles to foster its community management. First, Meeds DAO has a clear purpose and values guiding its community management. They're focused on empowering and supporting their community members and dedicated to creating a positive and welcoming environment. They're also very transparent, honest with their community members, and quick to answer questions and concerns. They're also very active on the platforms where their community is active, always looking for feedback and suggestions.
Content Creation
Another example is their approach to content creation. They create content that is informative, educational, and tailored to the needs of their community. They also provide value to their community through their content rather than just promoting their products or services. Another example is their approach to communication. They're very responsive, available to their community members, and always willing to listen to feedback and suggestions.
Building Relationships
Another example is their approach to building relationships. They're focused on creating community and belonging among their members. They do this by organizing events, hosting meetups, and encouraging members to interact with each other. They also make sure to show appreciation and recognition for their community members.
Conflict Resolution
Another example is their approach to conflict resolution. They’re swift in addressing any conflicts within the community and always try to find a fair and respectful solution for all parties involved.
Innovation
One final example is their approach to innovation. They're always looking for new ways to improve their community and better serve their members. They're open to new ideas and willing to experiment with new approaches. Another example is their approach to diversity and inclusion. They're committed to creating a diverse and inclusive community and work hard to make everyone feel welcome. They also strongly focus on accessibility and ensure their content is accessible to everyone.
Meeds DAO is a shining example of how to manage a community successfully. It has a clear purpose and set of values that guide its actions. It's committed to building relationships, providing value, and looking for new improvement methods. It's also dedicated to sustainability and positively impacting the world. Applying these principles to its community management will create a solid, prosperous community that will thrive for years.
About Meeds: Meeds is a decentralized engagement platform for the future of work.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Meeds DAO or any affiliated organizations
